Mind, Body, and Spirit

We each have a mind, body, and spirit. We were made in the likeness of God, in His image, Genesis 1:27, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." He told us He is three distinct persons in one God, Matthew 28:19, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:" So, which of the three persons is the mind? John 6:38, "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me." Who is the body? Matthew 1:23, "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." Who is the spirit? John 14:16-17, "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." Why is this important? Romans 1:20, "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:" and Ephesians 4:4-6, "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."

This is important because we will not believe there is a God and He is the God of the Bible unless we know who He is and what He does, John 17:3, "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." Then, we can test what the Bible tells us against what we find in this world. Without this understanding, we are confused and left with either denial or the acceptance of a mystery we cannot explain, Romans 1:21, "Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened."

When the Bible tells us that Jesus created everything, John 1:3, "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." and that Jesus only does what the Father tells Him, John 12:49-50, "For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak." We can think about what we do and create, and we understand that the mind imagines and the body builds. When we wonder why this world has so much evil, Romans 5:12, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:" we can see that some choose to build without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, John 14:26, "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." and what they build is not good, Galatians 6:7, "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." God knew what He had to do to take our evil deeds and use them to produce good before He began creating; Genesis 50:20, "But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive." and Isaiah 46:10, "Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:" Our evil deeds come from using our free will to defy God's created order. These evil deeds will not change what God has planned because He has already made provisions to compensate for them.

God told Adam and Eve to tend the garden, enjoy the fruit of all the trees except the Tree of Good and Evil, and be fruitful and multiply, Genesis 2:15-17, "And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." and Genesis 1:28, "And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." Their defiance led them to eat from the only forbidden tree. A choice born out of rebellion. So, God sent Jesus, His body, to repair the evil that was done in the garden; Romans 5:21, "That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord." and 1 John 2:2, "And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."

So, what is God's created order? When God created everything, He used enduring systems that would produce good for everyone to enjoy. Enduring systems like mathematics, gravity, and the water cycle make life possible on Earth. When we choose to live within these enduring systems, everything is good. When we decide that we can change the systems or ignore them, evil happens. If I chose to walk from the top of one 30-story building to another 30-story building without considering gravity, I would fall to my death. By the way, an enduring system is one that never changes. It works the same way every time. It lasts forever unless we step in and interfere with the system. For a more complete list of the enduring systems God created, click on this link: The Design Laws of God.

The mind imagines, the body builds, and the spirit guides, 1 Corinthians 2:13, "Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual." Who are we letting into our minds to mess with our imaginations? James 1:14-15, "But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." How will that affect our imaginings? 2 Corinthians 10:5, "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;" How, then, will it affect the building of our lives? Romans 8:6, "For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." Will we still listen for the guidance of the Spirit? Romans 12:2, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."  Once we understand the message of the Bible, we will follow the advice given. This is why Jesus told us to follow Him, Matthew 16:24, "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." He listens to the Father and willingly accepts the guidance and help of the Holy Spirit. Following Jesus means allowing the gift of God's created order to help us flourish in this life. Jesus calls this the abundant life, John 10:10, "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." The thief is the devil, and we can witness his work in this world if we open our eyes to this truth.

Why would we willingly allow anything into our minds that would interfere with God's created order playing out in our lives? James 4:1,7, "From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?... Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." Why would we listen to anyone other than God? 1 John 4:6, "We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error." He created everything and knows how it is supposed to work together, Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." He also loves us, John 3:16-17, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." He wants us to live in the fullness of His joy, John 15:11, "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." He wants us to be part of His glory. I choose to accept Jesus as my savior and live the life He calls me to live.

God has placed us in unique places throughout this world. This blog is about sharing His Word; please share it with those you believe would be blessed by hearing it. Bless you! If you want to receive the Weekly Newsletter, email us at bill@reasoningwithgod.com. If you want to read past blogs, go to https://www.reasoningwithgod.com/blog.